Jonghyun thought that his heart was weird. He swore he felt his heart clenching whenever Ji Eun and Onew or Key were interacting vaguely sweetly. He was losing focus on what Taeyeon sunbae was teaching and he didn't want to lose focus, honest to God, if he could he wouldn't. But something, just something kept him from fully drilling his mind with the theories his beloved sunbae kept repeating.

"Sunbae."

Taeyeon stopped in the middle of a theory and paused to look up at the cold voice that called her.

"I'm sorry, could I borrow him for a minute?" Ji Eun asked softly, pausing all conversations that were going on.

"Oh, sure! Sorry, I was talking a bit too long." Taeyeon smiled behind her hand, embarrassed, giving Jonghyun a light tap with her free hand.

It took a bit too long for Jonghyun to snap out of his thinking as he only noticed the glare of his tutor of love after Onew coughed awkwardly.

"Yep. I'm going." Jonghyun tried not to show he was getting up quickly but failed to do so as his chair squeaked in the most horrendous way possible making the awkward situation not only awkward but annoyingly loud.

Ji Eun grabbed Jonghyun aside, her small hands barely wrapping around the boy's arms, as she hurried him outside of the room.

"What are you doing?" Ji Eun hissed quickly as soon as she made sure the coast was clear.

Jonghyun blinked with confusion, noticing for a brief second the clenching feeling was gone.

"What do you mean what am I doing, I'm studying." Jonghyun sneered, looking away when Ji Eun looked up at him unamused.

"Do you actually think I would bring you and your friends here just to study?" she rolled her eyes, "I purposefully made you and Taeyeon sunbae talk together while I had to handle one mess of a student and one mess of a wannabe rival."

Jonghyun snickered at Onew's and Key's new classifier and crossed his arms.

"Yeah, we were talking-"

"Sunbae, was talking. You were staring into space."

Jonghyun pouted, scrunching his upper lip.

"If everyone had left the room, you wouldn't have noticed."

"That's not true, I was thinking about you." Jonghyun retorted.

Ji Eun paused and raised her brow. Jonghyun stopped all body functions for a millisecond before he realized what he had said.

"I don't mean I was thinking thinking about you, I was just you know like, like, you know?" Jonghyun urgently whispered, hissing through his teeth, ears growing hot.

Ji Eun's face twisted, her lips pursing to a small frown.

"I know that, I was just wondering why you wouldn't think about sunbae who was talking to you."

"I don't know...” Jonghyun fumbled with his thumbs, "I guess Onew and Key are disturbing me, they're too loud."

"That so much I know." Ji Eun sighed, "Listen, you go back in there and don't focus on studying. You can do that in your free time."

"You mean I actually have to study??"

Jonghyun clasped his mouth shut when Ji Eun sent an exasperated stare.

Ignoring the comment, Ji Eun continued, "What you have to focus on is Taeyeon sunbae. Don't initiate small talk. Let her start it first. Also, don't ask simple questions just to fill the awkward silence. It'll only make you look stupid or dumb and it won't make it any less awkward when she finishes answering your question."

"Stupid and dumb mean the same thing."

"When she starts the small talk and talks about anything related to the weather, us, or anything except for you; that means she finds the situation awkward. In that case, you should curve the conversation to something about her. Got it?"

Jonghyun blinked, absorbing the information.

"So... Talk about her when she makes small small talk?" He questioned.

"Yes." Ji Eun nodded, "But in the second case, if she makes small talk asking about you or her, that means she is slowly starting to get interested in you and your personal life."

"My personal life?" Jonghyun exaggerated with an 'o' shape with his mouth, daintily placing his hands over his chest.

"It's a good thing." Ji Eun pursued her lips, suppressing a smile. "She not going to peep on you while you're changing."

"Okay, okay. So what should I talk about?" Jonghyun chuckled, waving his hand as a signal for Ji Eun to continue her love lesson.

"You should talk about how you have plans this weekend and how you're not available. Also how you have a crush on someone."

Jonghyun paused, rolling the gears in his head.

"...This helps me... How...?" He squinted his eyes, "I know about playing hard to get but about me having a crush on someone? Wouldn't that completely ruin the whole project of making Taeyeon sunbae fall in love with me?"

"Don't worry. You'll only have a light crush on that someone. It won't be serious enough for sunbae to feel like she can't score a goal. Some girls actually like competition and find men attractive if they feel like they can't get them. Pick anyone, it really doesn't matter."

Jonghyun laughed, "Okay what if I pick Key?"

"Why not? If she's okay with that, it just tells me she respects others' ideals." Ji Eun shrugged.

"No, no." Jonghyun scrunched his nose, bothered with the fact of one of his best friends becoming a potential lover.

"Okay then, who?" Ji Eun questioned.

"I dunno, I'll wing it." Jonghun shrugged.

Ji Eun stood by, analyzing Jonghyun with her darting eyes, to which Jonghyun was now used to to a certain extent. "You know. You've gotten more confident ever since we started this whole project."

"Huh." Jonghyun placed his hand on his chin, raising his eyebrows, "I guess I did."

"Just what drives you, is the only mystery for me." Ji Eun smiled softly and turned towards the door, expecting Jonghyun close behind.

Jonghyun followed after, entering with a whiff of old books and wood.

Well, at least I know who gives me this confidence.

Sorry for the lack of updates (cough it's been at least a year I think)

I'll be updating this story depending on my time schedule and how much free time I have.

Please continue to read and leave comments.

Thank you and have a nice day/good night :3